Container for frozen food and frozen food

Abstract

To easily take out a frozen food, which is frozen after being filled in a container in a fluid state, from the container.SOLUTION: The container 10 for frozen food is frozen in a state of being filled with a food raw material having fluidity. A frozen food container 10 includes a filling portion 2 in which a food material is filled, the filling portion 2 is radially divided from a central C1, each of section 2A to 2D of the divided filling portion 2 has an independent bottom portion 4 and a sidewall 5 extending from the bottom portion 4, and the bottom portion 4 of each of the section 2A to 2D has a recessed portion 41 partially protruding into the filling portion 2 and recessed from the outside. The recessed portion 41 extends in a direction outward from the central C1 in a plan view.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a container for frozen foods, and a frozen food in which food ingredients are filled into the container for frozen foods and frozen together with the food ingredients. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, an increasing number of people are preparing smoothies and other beverages at home using fresh fruits and vegetables to supplement their nutrition. These beverages are typically prepared by crushing and blending fresh produce and ice or frozen produce in a blender, and optionally adding a diluent such as milk. However, preparing these beverages requires the use of a blender and the preparation of several types of fresh fruits and vegetables and other food ingredients, making it extremely time-consuming to prepare them on a daily basis.

[0003] To address this issue, a frozen food block has been proposed, which is made by freezing a puree preparation of vegetables, fruits, etc., for use in making smoothies. A smoothie can be easily made by removing the required amount of frozen pieces from the frozen food and dissolving them in a diluent beverage such as milk. Disposable containers for storing such frozen foods have been proposed, such as those described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0297742 (Patent Document 1). The container in Patent Document 1 includes multiple individual pockets each defining substantially the same volume, each having a bottom wall and at least one side wall extending from the bottom wall and an upper opening, the bottom wall having a first thickness that is smaller than the second thickness of the at least one side wall, and thereby allowing a portion of the frozen food to be removed by pushing against the bottom wall of the pocket during use.

[0004] Furthermore, various containers designed for freezing food ingredients have been devised as containers for frozen foods. For example, Utility Model Registration No. 3100849 (Patent Document 2) proposes a tray for frozen foods that has a vertical inward protrusion at the center of each of the eight sides of an octagonal container in plan view, and a small base that protrudes inward at the center of the bottom of the container. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] US Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0297742 [Patent Document 2] Utility Model Registration No. 3100849 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, puree preparations of vegetables, fruits, etc. used to make smoothies contain a large amount of water, and when filled into a container in a fluid state and then frozen, their volume expands more when frozen than when filled. As a result, the frozen puree preparation sticks to the inside of the container, making it difficult to remove from the container. The disposable container in Patent Document 1 is designed to make the thickness of the bottom wall thinner than the thickness of the side wall, taking into account ease of removal of frozen foods, but there is still room for improvement in terms of ease of removal from the container.

[0007] Furthermore, the frozen food tray of Patent Document 2 is designed to form a ventilation space when solid frozen food ingredients are stored in it. Patent Document 2 does not target frozen foods that are filled into a container in a fluid state and then frozen, and does not take into consideration the ease of removing the frozen food from the container.

[0008] Therefore, there is a need for a container for frozen foods that allows easy removal of frozen foods that have been filled into the container in a fluid state and then frozen. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The frozen food container of the present invention is a frozen food container that is filled with fluid food ingredients and frozen, and has a filling section in which the food ingredients are filled, the filling section is divided radially from the center, and each of the divided sections of the filling section has an independent bottom portion and a side wall extending from the bottom portion, and the bottom portion of each section has a recessed portion that partially protrudes into the inside of the filling section and is recessed from the outside, and the recessed portion extends in a direction from the center to the outside when viewed in a plane.

[0010] Furthermore, the frozen food according to the present invention is obtained by filling the container for frozen food with a fluid food ingredient and freezing the food ingredient together with the food ingredient.

[0011] With these configurations, the bottom portion of the container can be pushed further inward by placing a finger on the recessed portion from the bottom side of the bottom surface of the container and pushing, making it easy to remove frozen food that has been filled in a fluid state and then frozen from the container. The recessed portion is located so as to extend in a direction facing outward from the center of the container in a plan view, the same as the dividing direction of each compartment of the filling portion, so that the frozen food can be easily removed by pushing each compartment of the filling portion along the recessed portion from the bottom side.

[0012] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to the preferred embodiments described below.

[0013] In the container for frozen foods according to the present invention, it is preferable that the recessed portion has an elliptical shape having a major axis extending outward from the center in the plan view.

[0014] With this configuration, when pushing out frozen food from the bottom side, the shape of the recessed portion easily conforms to the shape of the pad of a finger, making it easy to smoothly push out and remove frozen food ingredients from each compartment of the filling section.

[0015] In the frozen food container of the present invention, the side walls of the filling section include two straight inner walls, one on each side of each compartment in the circumferential direction and connected to each other at a position close to the center, and an outer wall connecting the two inner walls on the outer periphery, and it is preferable that the outer surface of the outer wall has a recessed groove that is recessed from the outside and extends from the bottom portion in the direction in which the side walls extend.

[0016] According to this configuration, the outer surface of the outer wall is provided with a recessed groove, so that when the recessed portion is pressed with a finger, the recessed groove portion is easily bent, and the frozen food ingredients are easily removed from the container.

[0017] In the container for frozen foods according to the present invention, it is preferable that the recessed groove is located on an extension line of the longitudinal direction of the depression portion in a plan view.

[0018] With this configuration, deformation of the container when the recessed portion is pressed with a finger is easily transmitted to the recessed groove portion, making the container more likely to bend and making it even easier for frozen food ingredients to fall out of the container.

[0019] In the frozen food container of the present invention, when viewed in a plane, it is preferable that the outer wall has a maximum diameter point where the distance from the center is greatest, and that the maximum diameter point and the outer end of the inner wall are connected by an arc-shaped curve.

[0020] According to this configuration, the corners of the frozen food ingredients on the outer periphery of the container are formed into a rounded arc shape, making it easier for the frozen food to be removed from the container.

[0021] In the container for frozen foods according to the present invention, the filling section is preferably divided into 3 to 6 sections.

[0022] This configuration makes it easy to divide the frozen food ingredients and to place the frozen food ingredients removed from the container into a preparation container.

[0023] Further features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of exemplary, non-limiting embodiments, which proceeds with reference to the drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a container for frozen foods according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the container for frozen foods according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a front view of a container for frozen foods according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] 4 is a cross-sectional view of the container for frozen foods shown in FIG. 1 along line IV-IV. [Figure 5] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the container for frozen food shown in FIG. 1 taken along line VV. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a container for frozen foods according to an embodiment, illustrating details thereof. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a frozen food product according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a plan view of another embodiment of a container for frozen foods. [Figure 9] IX-IX cross-sectional view of another container for frozen foods. [Figure 10] 2 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of another container for frozen foods taken along line XX. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a comparative example of a container for frozen foods. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] [First embodiment of a container for frozen foods] A first embodiment of a container for frozen foods and a frozen food according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 7. Below, a container 10 as one embodiment of a container for frozen foods according to the present invention and a frozen food 1 as one embodiment of a frozen food according to the present invention will be described.

[0026] In the following explanation of this specification, when terms indicating directions are used, unless otherwise specified, each term is used based on the posture when the container 10 is placed with the bottom portion 4 on the ground (i.e., the posture shown in FIG. 3). For example, the vertical direction is the up-down direction on the paper surface of FIG. 3, and the horizontal direction is the left-right direction on the paper surface of FIG. 3 that is perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 3. Furthermore, the up-down direction, depth direction, and height direction are also the up-down direction on the paper surface of FIG. 3.

[0027] As shown in Figure 7, container 10 is used to store frozen food ingredients 100. Container 10 and frozen food ingredients 100 form frozen food 1. In the frozen food 1 of this embodiment, fluid food ingredients 100 such as fruits and vegetables that have been pulverized in a mixer are filled into four compartments 2A to 2D of the filling section 2 of container 10 and frozen. In this specification, the term "food ingredients" is used regardless of whether the food ingredients are frozen before or after freezing, or the degree of freezing.

[0028] (Container configuration) Next, the configuration of the container 10 will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 6. The container 10 according to this embodiment comprises a filling section 2 that opens upward and is filled with food ingredients 100, and an outer peripheral flange 3 that surrounds the outer edge of the opening of the filling section 2 (compartments 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D).

[0029] In this embodiment, the filling section 2 is divided radially from the center C1 into four approximately equal sections 2A to 2D. Each of the divided sections 2A to 2D of the filling section 2 has an independent bottom portion 4 and a side wall 5 extending from the bottom portion 4, and has approximately the same three-dimensional shape and internal volume.

[0030] 4 and 5, the bottom portion 4 of each of the compartments 2A to 2D has a recessed portion 41 that partially protrudes into the inside of the filling portion 2 and is recessed from the outside. In plan view, the recessed portion 41 of the bottom portion 4 of each of the compartments 2A to 2D extends outward from the center C1 as shown in Fig. 1. In other words, the recessed portion 41 of each compartment is arranged such that its longitudinal direction faces outward from the center C1 in plan view.

[0031] In this embodiment, the recessed portion 41 has an elliptical shape with a major axis extending outward from the center C1 in a plan view. The elliptical shape is not limited to a geometrically defined ellipse, but may be any convex shape with rounded corners and a central axis of line symmetry about the major axis. In this embodiment, the recessed portion 41 has a major axis and a minor axis, i.e., an elliptical shape with two axes of symmetry. The recessed portion 41 refers to the recessed portion that is not in contact with the ground when the bottom portion 4 is placed on a horizontal surface. As shown in FIGS. 1, 4, and 5, in this embodiment, the major axis L1 of the recessed portion 41 is 25 mm, and the minor axis L2 is 15 mm. The lengths of the major axis L1 and the minor axis L2 of the recessed portion 41 are not limited thereto; for example, the major axis L1 may be 10 to 28 mm (preferably 10 to 25 mm), and the minor axis L2 may be 5 to 20 mm. 4, the recessed portion 41 is recessed in a gentle curve in the depth direction so as to follow the shape of the finger pad, and the maximum depth D1 of the recessed portion 41 is set to 3 mm in this embodiment. The maximum depth D1 of the recessed portion 41 is not limited to this, and can be selected, for example, from the range of 1 mm to 7 mm.

[0032] The sidewalls 5 of each of the compartments 2A to 2D of the filling section 2 extend upward in a continuous curved manner from the outer periphery of the bottom portion 4. The sidewalls 5 form a tapered surface that gradually widens toward the upper opening. The sidewalls 5 include two inner walls 51, 51 arranged on both sides of each of the compartments 2A to 2D in the circumferential direction, which is the direction in which the compartments 2A to 2D are arranged around the center C1, and an outer wall 52 that connects the two inner walls 51, 51 on the outer periphery. The two inner walls 51, 51 are linear in plan view and are connected to each other by an arc-shaped curve near the center C1. That is, the inner wall 51 is a flat wall located between the compartments 2A to 2D. As shown in FIG. 6, both ends of the curved outer wall 52 are connected to the outer ends 51a of the linear inner walls 51, 51 in plan view. In the side walls 5, 5 of adjacent compartments (e.g., compartments 2D and 2A), adjacent inner walls 51 are substantially parallel to each other, and outer walls 52 extend from the outer ends 51a of the adjacent inner walls 51 so as to be spaced apart from each other. Thus, the two inner walls 51, 51 of each compartment 2A-2D are not shared with the inner wall 51 of another adjacent compartment and are independent of each other. The inner wall 51 of one compartment and the inner wall 51 of the adjacent compartment are connected to each other by inner wall connecting portions 6 at the upper edges of the respective inner walls 51 (FIG. 1). The four inner wall connecting portions 6 of the container 10 are connected to a central portion where the center C1 of the container 10 is located in a plan view. That is, the four inner wall connecting portions 6 extend radially from the center C1 in a plan view. The central portion where the center C1 is located and the four inner wall connecting portions 6 form a horizontal plane.

[0033] In this embodiment, the outer wall 52 is formed with a curved surface. The outer surface of the outer wall 52 is recessed from the outside and has a recessed groove 52a extending in the direction in which the side wall 5 extends from the bottom portion 4 (i.e., in a substantially vertical direction, substantially up and down in FIG. 3). The recessed groove 52a is a shallow recessed groove in a plan view, and is formed with a gently curved arc-like curve. As shown in FIG. 6, the radius of curvature (not shown) of the recessed groove 52a at the maximum recessed point P is 7 mm in this embodiment. The radius of curvature of the recessed groove 52a at the maximum recessed point P is not limited to this and can be set to a range of 5 to 9 mm, for example.

[0034] In this embodiment, in plan view, recessed groove 52a is located on an extension line of the longitudinal direction of recessed portion 41. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 6, the shape of each of sections 2A to 2D in plan view is a bilaterally symmetrical shape with the line connecting center C1 of container 10 and maximum recess point P of recessed groove 52a as the center line, that is, a so-called heart shape.

[0035] In the container 10 according to this embodiment, the shape of each of the sections 2A to 2D in a plan view has two maximum diameter points Q1 and Q2 that are the greatest distances from the center C1. In this embodiment, the radius R1 of a circle 53 circumscribing the outer wall 52 of each of the sections 2A to 2D that passes through the maximum diameter points Q1 and Q2 is 50 mm. The radius R1 is not limited to this and can be set within a range of 40 to 70 mm, for example.

[0036] In this embodiment, the maximum diameter points Q1 and Q2 are connected to the outer end 51a of the inner wall 51 by arc-shaped curves. The radius of curvature R3 of the arc 52b (part of the outer wall 52) connecting the maximum diameter points Q1 and Q2 to the outer end 51a of the inner wall 51 is 15 mm in this embodiment. The radius of curvature R3 is not limited to this and can be set in the range of 8 to 18 mm, for example. The central angle θ of the arc 52b is set to be 90 degrees or greater, and in this embodiment, it is 140 degrees. In this embodiment, the distance R2 between the point O1 where the two inner walls 51 of each of the sections 2A to 2D intersect in a plan view and each of the maximum diameter points Q1 and Q2 is 47 mm.

[0037] In plan view, the container 10 according to this embodiment has an outer wall connecting portion 7 that connects the ends of the outer walls 52 of adjacent compartments at their upper edges. In plan view, the outer wall connecting portion 7 is located between the outer end 51a of the inner wall 51 and the outer peripheral flange 3, and has a triangular shape surrounded by the periphery of three arcs. The outer wall connecting portion 7 is connected to the inner wall connecting portion 6 in a generally flat plane, rises in front of the outer peripheral flange 3 to form a concave curved surface, and continues to the outer peripheral flange 3. The flat portions of the inner wall connecting portion 6 and the outer wall connecting portion 7 are formed at a height lower than the top surface of the outer peripheral flange 3. In this embodiment, the flat portions of the inner wall connecting portion 6 and the outer wall connecting portion 7 are 3 mm lower than the top surface of the outer peripheral flange 3.

[0038] The peripheral flange 3 extends horizontally from the upper edges of the outer walls 52 of the four compartments 2A-2D and surrounds the outer periphery of the opening of the entire filling section 2. Specifically, the peripheral flange 3 surrounds the entire periphery of the four compartments 2A-2D of the filling section 2 and the four outer wall connecting portions 7 located between the four compartments, and is formed as a substantially horizontal surface overall. The width of the peripheral flange 3 is substantially constant, and although there are no particular limitations on its dimensions, in this embodiment it is 6.9 mm. In addition, the length from the bottom surface of the bottom portion 4 to the upper surface of the peripheral flange 3 (i.e., the height of the container 10) is also not particularly limited, but in this embodiment it is 24 mm.

[0039] In this embodiment, the four compartments 2A to 2D of the filling section 2 each have a heart shape in a plan view, so that the filling section 2 as a whole has a four-leaf clover shape, and the container 10 also has a stylish design. The internal volume of each compartment is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, the capacity of each compartment 2A to 2D when filled to capacity without exceeding the inner wall connecting section 6 and the outer wall connecting section 7 is 25.9 cm 3 It states that:

[0040] The container 10 according to this embodiment can be obtained, for example, by deep-drawing a commercially available resin multilayer film for forming containers. The upper surface of the peripheral flange 3 is horizontal, allowing a lid material made of a film material or the like to be sealed thereto.

[0041] The multilayer film used to form container 10 is not particularly limited in terms of the components and layer configuration of each layer, but is a flexible resin film. In this embodiment, a film including a sealing layer that can be thermally bonded to another lid material and a base layer is used. The sealing layer is disposed inside filling section 2 and on the upper surface of peripheral flange 3, while the base layer is disposed on the lower surface of peripheral flange 3, the outer surface of filling section 2, and the outer surface of bottom portion 4. The materials of the multilayer film and each layer of container 10 formed from the multilayer film are not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, the sealing layer is polyethylene mixed with a polypropylene component, and the base layer is cold-resistant polypropylene. In this way, container 10 is formed using a multilayer film made of various polyethylene-based resins, polypropylene-based resins, polyester-based resins, etc.

[0042] The container 10 of this embodiment molded in this manner has a thickness of 0.15 mm for the filling section 2 (sections 2A to 2D) and a thickness of 0.4 mm for the peripheral flange 3. In each of sections 2A to 2D of the filling section 2, the recessed section 41 and the recessed groove 52a have approximately the same thickness. The thicknesses of the filling section 2 and the peripheral flange 3 are not limited to these values; for example, the thickness of the filling section 2 can be set in the range of 0.05 to 0.45 mm, and the thickness of the peripheral flange 3 can be set in the range of 0.25 to 0.65 mm. The filling section 2 is soft and flexible, while the peripheral flange 3 is harder than the filling section 2.

[0043] (frozen food) As described above, the frozen food product 1 of this embodiment is prepared by filling a container 10 with fluid food ingredients 100 and freezing the container 10 together with the food ingredients 100. The food ingredients 100 are fruits, vegetables, grains, seeds, etc. that have been crushed in advance in a mixer or the like and seasoned, and are fluid when filled.

[0044] In the present invention, "fluid" refers to something that has the property of changing into an amorphous form. The food ingredient 100 only needs to have fluidity when filled into the container 10, and as long as it has fluidity, it may be partially frozen or in a semi-solid state. Here, "semi-solid" refers to something that has the properties of both a liquid and a solid, is viscous, and has the characteristic of being freely deformable, and includes sol-like and gel-like substances. Because the food ingredient 100 contains 60% or more by mass of water, its volume expands when frozen.

[0045] In this embodiment, each of the four compartments 2A to 2D is filled with fluid food ingredients 100 using a separate nozzle. After the food ingredients 100 have been filled, in this embodiment the entire upper surface of the outer flange 3 is sealed with a lid made of a film material to seal the compartment. An inert gas may be filled in when the compartments are sealed.

[0046] The central portion, inner wall connecting portion 6, and outer wall connecting portion 7 of the container 10 are located lower than the outer flange 3, and there are gaps between the central portion, inner wall connecting portion 6, and outer wall connecting portion 7 and the lid material. Therefore, when not frozen, the fluid food ingredients 100 can be moved to other compartments by tilting the container 10. The fluid food ingredients 100 may be filled so that the surface of the food ingredients 100 is either below or above the inner wall connecting portion 6 and outer wall connecting portion 7. In this embodiment, the fluid food ingredients 100 are filled so that the surface of the food ingredients 100 is below the inner wall connecting portion 6 and outer wall connecting portion 7. It is also possible to tilt the container 10 after filling to make the liquid level uniform. The volume of each piece of frozen food ingredient is 15 to 40 cm. 3 It states that:

[0047] A beverage is prepared using the frozen food 1, for example, in the following procedure. First, the frozen food 1 is held in both hands with the bottom portion 4 of the container 10 facing up. If the compartments 2A-2D of the frozen food 1 are connected (i.e., at the inner wall connecting portion 6 and the outer wall connecting portion 7), force is applied to move the bottom portions 4 of adjacent compartments closer together, separating the pieces of frozen food ingredient 100 contained in each compartment 2A-2D. Next, the ball of the thumb is placed in the recess 41 of the compartment to be removed, and the other fingers are placed on the upper surface of the outer flange 3, and the bottom side of the bottom portion 4 is pushed toward the opening of the filling section 2 to remove each piece. The required number of pieces are removed from the four compartments 2A-2D and placed directly or indirectly in a shaker for preparing the beverage.

[0048] Next, add 100 to 250 ml of a dilution beverage such as milk, soy milk, or water to the shaker, and shake the container by hand for about 30 seconds to 2 minutes to dissolve the frozen pieces.

[0049] First, in the container 10 according to this embodiment, the bottom portion 4 has a recessed portion 41 that extends outward from the center C1 in a plan view, so that the bottom portion 4 can be easily pushed further into the container by placing a finger on the recessed portion 41 and pushing it out. Therefore, frozen food ingredients 100 stuck inside the container 10 can be easily removed from the container.

[0050] Secondly, in the container 10 of this embodiment, the recessed portion 41 has an elliptical shape with the major axis L1 directed outward from the center C1 when viewed in a plane, so that the recessed portion 41 easily conforms to the shape of the pad of a finger (especially the pad of a thumb), making it easy to smoothly push out the frozen food ingredients 100.

[0051] Thirdly, the container 10 of this embodiment has a recessed groove 52a on the outer surface of the outer wall 52, so that when the recessed portion 41 is pressed with a finger, the recessed groove 52a portion is easily bent, and the frozen food ingredients 100 are easily removed from the container 10.

[0052] Fourthly, in the container 10 of this embodiment, when viewed in a plane, the recessed groove 52a is located on the longitudinal extension of the recessed portion 41, so that when the recessed portion 41 is pressed with a finger, the recessed groove 52a portion is likely to bend continuously, making it even easier for the frozen food ingredients 100 to come out of the container.

[0053] Fifthly, in a plan view, the container 10 of this embodiment has outer wall 52 with maximum diameter points Q1, Q2 at which the distance from the center C1 is greatest, and these maximum diameter points Q1, Q2 are connected to the outer end 51a of the inner wall 51 by an arc-shaped curve, so that the outer ends of the frozen food ingredients 100 contained in each compartment 2A to 2D are spaced apart, and the corners of the frozen food ingredients 100 are rounded, making it easy to remove the frozen food ingredients 100 from the container 10.

[0054] In the container 10 according to this embodiment, the filling section 2 is divided into four sections 2A to 2D, making it easy to divide the frozen food ingredients 100 and take out the required number of pieces, and also to place the taken-out pieces into a beverage preparation container.

[0055] In the frozen food product 1 according to this embodiment, each piece of frozen food ingredient 100 has a rounded heart-shaped shape and further has an uneven surface such as recessed portion 41 and recessed groove 52a, thereby providing a large surface area and facilitating dissolution in a beverage for dilution. Therefore, the frozen food ingredient 100 can be easily dissolved in a beverage for dilution by simply shaking it in a container, without the need for vigorous stirring using a mixer or hand blender, thereby enabling the beverage to be prepared in a simple process. Note that, in the present invention, the process of dissolving the frozen food ingredient 100 in a beverage for dilution is not limited to an embodiment that does not use a mixer or hand blender, and a mixer or hand blender may be used to dissolve the frozen food ingredient 100 in a beverage for dilution more quickly.

[0056] Next, a second embodiment of a container for frozen foods and a frozen food according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 8 to 10. Below, an example in which a container for frozen foods according to the present invention is applied to a container 20 will be described. Note that parts that are the same as those in the first container embodiment will be given the same reference numerals as those in the first container embodiment, and detailed description will be omitted.

[0057] (Container configuration) As shown in FIG. 8, the container 20 according to the second embodiment differs from the container 10 according to the first embodiment in that the filling portion 22 is divided into six compartments 22A-22F. The container 20 also differs in that the outer wall 82 of the sidewall 8 does not have a recessed groove. As with the container 10 according to the first embodiment, the bottom portion 4 of each compartment 22A-22F in the container 20 has a recessed portion 42 that partially protrudes into the filling portion 22 and is recessed from the outside. The recessed portion 42 extends outward from the center C2 in a planar view. In this embodiment, the recessed portion 42 also has an elliptical shape with its major axis extending outward from the center C2 in a planar view. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, in this embodiment, the length L4 of the major axis of the recessed portion 42 is 25 mm, the length L5 of the minor axis is 20 mm, and the maximum depth D2 is 7 mm. As such, in the container 20, the recess 42 is recessed in a gentle curve in the depth direction to follow the shape of the pad of a finger, as shown in Figures 9 and 10, but is recessed overall deeper than the recess 41 of the first embodiment.

[0058] In the container 20, each of the compartments 22A to 22F has a maximum diameter point Q3 at which the distance from the center C2 is greatest in plan view, and in this embodiment, the radius R4 of a circle 83 circumscribed by the outer wall 82 of each of the compartments 22A to 22F passing through the maximum diameter point Q3 is 55 mm. The radius R4 is not limited to this and can be set within a range of 40 to 70 mm, for example.

[0059] In this embodiment, the maximum diameter point Q3 is also connected to each of the outer end portions 81a of the inner wall 81 by an arc-shaped curve 82b. The curve 82b is an arc with a radius of curvature of 15 mm and a circumferential angle of 90 degrees at the end portion connected to the outer end portion 81a of the inner wall 81. In this embodiment, the distance R5 between the point O2 where the two inner walls 81 of each of the compartments 22A to 22F intersect and the maximum diameter point Q3 in a plan view is 50 mm. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the capacity of each of the compartments 22A to 22F when filled to capacity without exceeding the inner wall connecting portion 6 and the outer wall connecting portion 7 is 16.9 cm3. 3 is.

[0060] As described above, the container 20 according to the second embodiment also has a recessed portion 42, and each of the sections 22A to 22F of the stuffing section 2 has a maximum diameter point Q3 and an arc-shaped curve 82b, making it easy to remove food ingredients frozen inside the container 20.

[0061] [Other embodiments] Other embodiments of the frozen food container and the frozen food according to the present invention will be described below. Note that the configurations disclosed in the following embodiments can be applied in combination with the configurations disclosed in other embodiments, as long as no contradiction occurs.

[0062] In the above embodiment, the recess 41 is described as being elliptical. However, in the present invention, the recess 41 may have any shape extending outward from the center C1 in a planar view. The shape is not limited to this, and it may also be a rectangular or diamond-shaped shape with corners. When the recess 41 is elliptical, as described above, it is not limited to a geometrically defined ellipse, but may also be a convex shape with rounded corners, with the major axis as the central axis of line symmetry. The term "elliptical" includes shapes similar to an ellipse. Examples of "elliptical" include ovals, ellipses, rounded rectangles (track shapes) formed by two parallel lines of equal length and two semicircles, egg shapes, and diamond-shaped shapes with rounded corners. Note that when only the major axis is the axis of line symmetry, as in an egg shape, the minor axis refers to the longest straight line perpendicular to the major axis.

[0063] In the above-described first embodiment, an example has been described in which the outer surface of the outer wall 52 is recessed from the outside and has a recessed groove 52a extending from the bottom portion 4 in the direction in which the side wall 5 extends. However, the configuration having the recessed groove 52a is merely an example, and the recessed groove 52a may not be provided.

[0064] In the first and second embodiments described above, the outer walls 52, 82 have a maximum diameter point at which the distance from the center C1, C2 is greatest in plan view, and the maximum diameter point and the outer end portions 51a, 81a of the inner walls 51, 81 are connected by an arc-shaped curve. However, in the present invention, the shape of the outer wall of each compartment of the filling section and the shapes of the end portions of the outer wall and the outer end portions of the inner walls in plan view are not limited. Furthermore, the arc-shaped curve may be a curve similar to a circular arc and is not limited to a perfect arc.

[0065] In the first and second embodiments described above, the filling section is divided into four or six sections. However, the number of sections into which the filling section is divided is arbitrary and is not limited to this. The number of sections into which the filling section is divided is preferably three to six, and it is preferable that each section of the filling section be divided approximately equally.

[0066] In the above embodiment, the food ingredient 100 for preparing a smoothie has been described as an example. However, the food ingredient in the present invention is not limited to an ingredient for preparing a smoothie, and may be an ingredient for preparing juice, soup, etc. Alternatively, it may be an ingredient that is used as is without dilution, such as various sauces.

[0067] Regarding other configurations, it should be understood that the embodiments disclosed in this specification are illustrative in all respects and that the scope of the present invention is not limited thereby. Those skilled in the art will easily understand that appropriate modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, other embodiments modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention are naturally included in the scope of the present invention. [Example]

[0068] The present invention will be further described below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[0069] [Example] The food ingredients 100 were filled into the four compartments 2A to 2D of the filling section 2 of the container 10 shown in Figures 1 to 6, and then frozen in a freezer at -40°C for one hour to produce a frozen food 1. The food ingredients used were 100g of banana, 40g of yogurt, and 30ml of water, which had been mixed in a mixer. The container 10 used was the same as that used in the first embodiment. Each compartment of the container 10 gave a volume of approximately 30cm 3 Four pieces (2 cm thick) were made.

[0070] [Comparative Example] The eight compartments in the filling section of the container 30 shown in Figure 11 were filled with the same food ingredients as in the Example, and frozen under the same conditions as in the Example to produce a frozen food. In Figure 11, the radius R6 of the circle circumscribing the filling section of the container 30 is 52 mm, and the maximum distance R7 from the intersection of the inner circumferential walls of each piece to the outer circumferential wall is 40 mm. Each compartment of the container 30 makes up a volume of approximately 25 cm 3 Eight pieces (2.5 cm thick) were made.

[0071] (evaluation) The ease of removing each piece of the frozen food ingredient from the container in the Examples and Comparative Examples was evaluated.

[0072] In the container of the example, the pieces could be easily removed from the container in a short time by pushing out the recessed portion on the bottom surface of the container. In contrast, in the container of the comparative example, even when pushing out from the center of the bottom surface of the container, the corners on the inner and outer peripheries stuck to the container, making it difficult to remove the pieces from the container, and it took force and time to remove the pieces. [Industrial Applicability]

[0073] The present invention can be used as a frozen food container, for example for beverages such as smoothies. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] (First embodiment) 1: Frozen food 10: Container 2: Filling section 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D: Filling section 3: Peripheral flange 4: Bottom part 41: Recessed part 5: Side wall 51: Inner wall 51a: outer end of inner wall 52:Outer wall 52a: recessed groove 6 :Inner wall connection part 7 :Outside wall connection part Center:C1 Maximum diameter point: Q1, Q2

[0075] (Second embodiment) 20: Container 22: Filling section 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D, 22E, 22F: Filling section compartments 42: :recess 8: Side wall 81: Inner wall 81a: outer end of inner wall 82 :Outer wall Center:C2 Maximum diameter point: Q3

Claims

1. A frozen food container that is filled with fluid food ingredients and frozen, a filling section into which the food ingredients are filled, The filling portion is divided radially from the center, Each of the divided compartments of the filling portion has an independent bottom portion and a side wall extending from the bottom portion, The bottom portion of each of the compartments has a recessed portion that partially protrudes into the inside of the filling portion and is recessed from the outside, The recessed portion extends in a direction facing outward from the center in a plan view of the container for frozen foods.

2. 2. The container for frozen foods according to claim 1, wherein the recessed portion has an elliptical shape having a major axis extending outward from the center in the plan view.

3. The side wall of the filling section is Two linear inner walls, one on each side of each section in the circumferential direction and connected to each other at a position close to the center; an outer wall connecting the two inner walls on the outer circumferential side, 2. The frozen food container of claim 1, wherein the outer surface of the outer wall is provided with a recessed groove that is recessed from the outside and extends in the direction in which the side wall extends from the bottom portion.

4. 4. The container for frozen foods according to claim 3, wherein the recessed groove is located on an extension line of the longitudinal direction of the recessed portion in a plan view.

5. 4. The frozen food container according to claim 3, wherein, in a plan view, the outer wall has a maximum diameter point at which the distance from the center is greatest, and the maximum diameter point and the outer end of the inner wall are connected by an arc-shaped curve.

6. 2. The container for frozen foods according to claim 1, wherein the filling section is divided into 3 to 6 sections.

7. A frozen food product in which a fluid food ingredient is filled into the container for frozen food according to any one of claims 1 to 6 and frozen together with the food ingredient.

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